5 Reasons To Implement A Telework Policy

With the advancement of technology and the many collaboration tools on the market today, people really can work from anywhere, anytime, and from any device. Due to these advancements and the potential benefits of telecommuting, many organizations are looking at implementing telework policies for their employees.

Here are some of the reasons that companies should look in to implementing telework programs:

Recruit the best employees, regardless of their location:
Every organization is looking for the best and brightest candidates to bring to their team. Allowing employees to work remotely helps widen the talent pool and find great employees regardless of where they are located. In a survey conducted by WorldatWork it was reported that 80% of employees say that they would like to work from home given the opportunity and 1/3 would take the ability to telecommute over a pay raise.

Improve employee work-life balance, and increase employee retention:
With company culture and the desire for a work-life balance being very important to employees these days, the option for telecommuting can offer those benefits. Allowing employees the flexibility of working remotely can help to build an employee-respected company culture that promotes a good work-life balance. Likewise, there are strong positive links between telecommuting and job satisfaction. Since many employees look at a telecommuting policy as a job perk, this flexibility will give your employees another reason to stick around and reduce expensive employee turnover.

Reduce your organization’s carbon footprint:
Telecommuting is a great way to reduce your organization’s carbon footprint and promote environmentally friendly activities. The fewer employees that come in to an office reduces the amount of commuters, therefore reducing the number of cars on the road. According to the SMART 2020 report, by combining a telework policy with the use of video conferencing to reduce the need for travel, companies have the ability to reduce emissions by up to 260m tonnes by 2020.

Boost productivity:
By giving employees tools that they can use to work while commuting, out of town, or working from home, increases efficiency and productivity. Working from home can also reduce time lost by office chatter, coffee breaks, long lunches, and other random meetings. A study done by IBM showed that employees who worked remotely could be up to 50% more productive. Absenteeism is also reduced due to remote employees being exposed to fewer sick co-workers and often continuing to work when sick if they are working from home.

Lower facility costs:
When implementing a telework policy and allowing employees to come in to an office on an on-needed basis, organizations can often downsize the office space that they need. This also allows for reduced expenses on utilities, janitorial service, security and maintenance. Based on information from Telework Research Network, around 40% of Americans have the ability to work remotely, and if each of these employees worked from home half the time, companies could potentially save $10,000 per employee per year.